Talk to Me, Princess | Marichat - Miraculous Ladybug

Chapter Seventeen - Stepping Into Dangerous Territory

"Open the door, Princess. I'm here." I hear his muffled voice as I fumble with the latch. Clicking it open, Chat swiftly drops in and envelops me in his embrace.

I tightly wrap my arms around his waist, burying my head against his chest. He hushes me gently, rubbing my back with one hand while his other holds my head against him. His fingers in my hair feel nice, the pressure of him holding me close feels even better.

"I'm so sorry." I cry into his chest, gripping the back of his skin tight suit. The material is sleek, and I can hardly get a fistful of it.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He says gently, his mouth next to my ear as he bends down to put our heads beside each other. Over the years, Chat has gotten unfairly taller than me.

"I do. I'm always such a mess around you. I-it's not fair to you." I cringe at my pathetic voice, so uncharacteristically like myself. I'm Ladybug, I'm meant to be a strong hero.

I'm a fraud. Those tweets about me prove that others see me as such. I'm a piss poor excuse of a hero.

"You don't have to be perfect all of the time, Marinette. When you feel this way, you're able to lean on me for support. You can always lean on me. I might not be much, but I can always support the both of us." His words help calm me down, grounding me and pulling me back to reality. My sobs start to slow, but the gushing of snot from my nose and the heavy head on my shoulders doesn't make me feel any better.

Chat Noir pulls away, grabbing some tissues and offering them to me. I spend several minutes blowing my nose and cringing at the sound. This isn't the most attractive sight, I bet Chat Noir thinks I'm a huge loser.

Grabbing some Advil from my desk, he pops one out of the bottle and hands it to me with my glass of water from earlier. I smile softly, taking both from him.

Swallowing the small pill with a big gulp of room temperature water, I watch as Chat Noir's eyes observe me tentatively.

"I'm sorry I haven't been coming around, I really hope you haven't been crying like this every night." He speaks up finally, he voice slightly hoarse. I wonder what he's been up to these last few weeks.

"I-I haven't. I just saw some tweets-" I cut myself short, forgetting I'm just Marinette. I can't explain why tweets about Ladybug being a terrible hero has hurt me so much. "These tweets made me think about my future. And how I can't control anything. How I'm falling behind while everyone speeds forward." Half-truth, I suppose.

"You're right, you can't control everything. But what you can control, Marinette, is whether or not you let that go. You don't have to have all the answers to everything, you're allowed to just take it day by day and figure things out slowly. What matters most is that you're happy, so do what works best for you."

"I-I want my friends to stay here in Paris with me. I want everything to stay the same, I want to keep my close friends and become a designer and-and be free from Hawkmoth but not free from you." I blurt everything out, trying my best to not incriminate myself by saying anything that could make me sound like Ladybug.

His eyes change with the last sentence from a kind and sympathetic look to something more dark. A slightly shocked and intense gaze, like he's trying to figure out the inner workings of my mind.

"I can't promise that you can have all of that. What I do promise to you though, is that it will all work out. The friends that are worth staying friends with will keep in touch, even if they go off to follow their dreams. This is all of your home city, meaning you'll all come back eventually. And as for me? I will be in your life for however long you want me to be here. And I promise that I'll defeat Hawkmoth. If not for Paris, then for you." His sincerity touches my heart, making my eyes snap up to get a better look at his expression. He's serious, not poking fun or making light of any situation.

And most importantly, he's right. Even if I need to remind myself of that each time I'm hurting, he's right. My friends have every right to chase their dreams, and we'll stay in contact somehow.

Chat Noir will be here, we're connected no matter what. If we defeat Hawkmoth, I'll reveal myself to him.

I won't lose him. Never.

"How will you forever stay by my side?" I question him, my voice barely above a whisper. I want to know how he plans to do that.

"I'll show you who I truly am. If you go anywhere, I'll keep in touch. Hell, if you need me too, I'll follow you anywhere you want to go." He takes my hand, bringing it up to his lips and pressing them against my skin. I suck in some air, my whole body coming to life.

It sounds almost like a declaration of love. That being said, I don't have the strength to ask that. I don't think I want to know.

The idea of Chat Noir loving me is scary. I'll only end up hurting him, especially when I have to refuse learning who he truly is. I can't explain to him why I can't know without making matters worse.

Please, Kitty. Love someone else. Anyone else besides me.

Yet as those words fill my mind, my heart aches. I don't want him to love someone else. Why am I like this? I love Adrien, yet here I am having such strong and passionate feelings for another boy.

"Marinette?" He says, snapping myself out of my thoughts. Our eyes lock, beautiful green orbs staring at me intensely. Our breathing is erratic, our faces closer than I thought yet not nearly close enough to appease my rapidly beating heart.

"Yes, Chat Noir?" My voice more breathy and vulnerable than I would like, eyes locked onto his lips. This is dangerous territory, a boundary neither of us should cross. Thoughts of our kiss as Ladybug and Chat Noir float through my mind. I want to recreate it, but in the privacy of my room.

My sanctuary from the world, with my partner by my side. It feels like home, here with Chat Noir just mere inches from me.

"I'm going to kiss you." He states, snaking his hands around my waist and pulling us together. My brain screams stop, telling me this is wrong. I know this is wrong, I'm only going to hurt him.

But my heart, the damn thing. It's a tricky organ, and it refuses to be silenced.

So I nod my head, because daring to use my voice will show how badly I need him like this.

I need him to love me.